Witness: My name is S.M. Amirul Islam and my father name is Late Nuruddin Sikder. My address is Gapinagpur, P.S.+District: Gopalgonj.

Prosecutor: What is your Profession?

Witness: I am an Employee of Bangladesh Press Institute.

Witness: In the last 08-08-2011, Investigation Officer of this case went to our office and seized The Daily Janakantha of 06-02-2001 which heading was “Claim for suspending Maolana Abul Kalam Azad from A.T.N Television and bringing him into trial for his crime (In Bangla Maolana Abul Kalam Azad ke A.T.N Television theka prottahar o ter opokormer jonno bichar dabi)” and also The Daily Janakantha of 07-02-2011 which heading was “The speech of Maolana Abul Kalam Azad alias Bacchu has been stopped in A.T.N TV (In Bangla A.T.N a Abul Kalam Azad Alias Bacchu er Boyan bondo hoy gase)”. This is that seizure list (In Exhibition-1) and my signature is in Exhibition 1\1. After seizing these two newspapers, I.O gave those to my custody and this is custody list (in exhibition-2) and my signature is in exhibition 2\1.

In Last 23-01-2012, Investigation Officer of this case went to our office and seized a copy of The Daily Janakantha of 05-02-2001 which headed was “Murderer Bachchu of Faridpur is now Abul Kalam Azad in Television screen (in Bangla Faridpur er Gatok Bachchu ei akon tv pordai Maolana Abul Kalam Azad)” and also a copy of Daily Samokal of 13-12-2011 which heading was “Terror of Faridpur Bachchu Rajaker (in Bangla Faridpur er atonko Bachchu Rajaker)”. This is that seizer list (In Exhibition-3) and my signature is in Exhibition 3\1. After seizing these two newspapers, I.O gave those to my custody and this is custody list (in exhibition-4) and my signature is in exhibition- 4\1.

In the date of last 24-08-2011, Investigation Officer of this case went to our office and seized a copy of The Daily Janakantha of 09-02-2001 which headed was “Land acquiring of Bachchu Rajaker was not happened (in Bangla Bachchu Rajakerer jami bagano holona)” and also a copy of Daily Janakantha of 12-10-2010 which heading was “Notorious Bachchu Rajaker is fond of issuing religious decree Maolana Abul Kalam Azad (in Bangla Kukkhato Bachchu Rajaker ei fatoabaj Maolana Abul Kalam Azad )”. This is that seizer list (In Exhibition-5) and my signature is in Exhibition 5\1. After seizing these two newspapers, I.O gave those to my custody and this is custody list (in exhibition-6) and my signature is in exhibition- 6\1.

Today I have brought main copies of all seized newspaper for observing in the Tribunal. If Tribunal gives order further for bringing, we will present those within required time.

Then cross-examination of Witness is started by Defense Counsel Abdus Sukur Khan.

Defence: In which year did you join in Bangladesh Press Institute?

Witness: In 22-06-1996.

Defence: What is your post in Press Institute?

Witness: Book Sorter.

Defence: What is the duty of a Book Sorter?

Witness: To arrange books and newspapers of the institute neatly and if anyone wants, then to give him.

Defence: Whose responsibility is it to preserve newspapers?

Witness: Librarian.

Defence: By whose order you have signed instead of signing librarian?

Witness: There are two sections in our institute, one is book and another is newspaper. I am in charge of Newspaper section, so I have given signature.

Defence: You don’t know what have been in Newspapers and also you did not read those Newspapers, am I right?

About Me

This is a personal blog, and any views are solely mine. I am a Bangladesh based journalist who has since August 2010 worked as Editor, Special Reports for the Bangladesh national newspaper, New Age (see my other blog on the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh: http://bangladeshwarcrimes.blogspot.com) Prior to working at New Age, between March and September 2010, I worked as a senior editor and reporter at the news website, bdnews24.com and before that I spent seven months at the Bangladesh newspaper, the Daily Star, setting up a small investigations unit. Between 2000 and 2009, I was the Executive Director of the Centre for Corporate Accountability, a UK based not-for-profit organisation concerned with workplace safety. Before that, I worked as a Television journalist and producer for about seven years working mainly for the television production company, Twenty Twenty Television in London. In 1995, I was involved in making the Royal Television Society award winning Channel Four documentary, the 'War Crimes File', a film about war crimes allegedly committed by three men during the 1971 War of Indpendence. I have lived in Dhaka since 2003.